Boat cruise safaris in Akagera National Park
The boat cruise safaris in Akagera National Park are conducted on Lake Ihema. The boat safaris in Akagera National Park offer the best safari experiences and they are well known because they offer the best chances for visitors to see and explore the wildlife in the park. Boat cruises along the shores of Lake Ihema, Rwanda’s second largest lake after Lake Kivu, provide some spectacular aquatic bird sightings, making it the single best way to explore the park, and you can also observe some of the fauna that lives in the lake’s waters. This will provide you with an excellent opportunity to enhance your animal count from the safari game drives. Keep a watch out for crocodiles, buffaloes, and hippos, as well as colorful kingfishers, gorgeous fish eagles, egrets, Hammerkops and their massive nests, and even the prehistoric-looking Shoebill during your boat launch. Endangered species include jacanas, Ibis, plovers, herons, malachite kingfishers, hawks, and many others. The boat ride lasts approximately 2 to 3 hours.
Boat rides are also available to visitors to Akagera National Park. Visitors can explore the national park’s lakes and neighboring islands, as well as the fauna that inhabits the lake waters and shoreline. Exploring Akagera National Park by boat is a thrilling and daring experience. The majority of Akagera’s boat tours take place on Lake Ihema. The lake is located in the southern section of the national park and is one of the largest of the park’s ten lakes. Lake Ihema has a surface area of roughly 90 square kilometers and a depth of about 5-7 meters. The lake’s eastern end is on Rwanda’s border with Tanzania. The lake is fed by the famed River Kagera, which also feeds the majority of the national park’s lakes.
Visitors to Lake Ihema can take boat cruises to discover the abundant wildlife in and around the lake. Visitors can witness wildlife such as hippopotami and crocodiles while taking a boat ride on Lake Ihema in Akagera National Park. The lake is well known for having the highest concentration of hippos in East Africa. Visitors can also see a variety of bird species such as the Papyrus Gonolek, jacanas, herons, sandpipers, malachite kingfishers, hawks, and the uncommon shoebill stork, among many more.
After a short boat cruise safari in Akagera National Park, visitors can go fishing on the lake. Tilapia is the most common fish captured in Lake Ihema. The majority of sport fishing activities in Akagera National Park, however, take place on Lake Shakani, and guests are welcome to bring their fishing equipment. The shoreline of Lake Ihema in Akagera National Park is primarily defined by vast seasonal and perennial papyrus wetlands. Visitors have a good possibility of seeing the rare and sought-after Shoebill Stork in these marshes. Lake Ihema is infested with water hyacinth, which is one of the lake’s greatest dangers. The presence of water hyacinth in the lake endangers the lives of many aquatic creatures and birds. The water hyacinth also has an impact on the ease of movement of boats on the lake, as well as the quality of the water. The lake is also linked to the majority of the marshes in Akagera National Park as well as the Akagera River, also known as the Kagera River.
Enjoy an exciting Boat cruise safari in Akagera National Park
When to go on a boat safari in Akagera National Park
The majority of boat tours at Akagera National Park are scheduled, with voyages taking place four times a day at 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 3 p.m., and 4:30 p.m. Non-scheduled boat cruises are provided in the national park for those who want to do private tours. Visitors who desire to take a boat ride in Akagera National Park must pay USD 45 per person for evening boat tours and USD 35 for morning boat journeys.
Trips leave at 7.30 a.m., 9 a.m., 3 p.m., and 4.30 p.m. There are also three pre-planned boat rides (day, morning, and sundown) to experience the park from the water level, which is surrounded by crocodiles, hippos, and birds. You can choose a morning cruise, a mid-morning cruise, an afternoon cruise, or a sunset boat trip, which will reward you with a delightful sight-seeing adventure of a variety of wildlife and bird species. The park administration can also organize cruises on Lake Ihema to see the difficult-to-see hippo pods and massive Nile crocodiles. This is also the best way to see the park’s plentiful aquatic birds, such as the nesting colonies of noisy and stinky cormorants, as well as the open-billed stork.
The one-hour boat tour costs $40 per person for a maximum of 11 people, and if you want to plan your excursion with a private group on your own, the entire boat costs $180 to rent. You may also go on a boat cruise safari in Akagera Park along Lake Ihema, where you will witness a lot of hippos and crocodiles. During the day, the boat on this lake costs $30 per person for an hour with a guide. The boat journey can be combined with a day or night wildlife drive to enhance your experience in Akagera National Park. Combine your wildlife safari in Akagera with an exciting boat trip on Lake Ihema.
The Evening Boat Safari in Akagera National Park This time, we went on the evening boat ride at 17:30, which is about a 5-minute drive from the Ruzizis and is breathtaking! You spend an hour on this lake, visiting an island full of birds and passing by hippos and crocodiles. The guides are fantastic, and their fee of $40 per person for one hour is well worth it. The sun begins to set, and all worry rushes out of you as you sit on the lake with a sliver of tranquility in Rwanda.
Visitors on longer tours in Akagera National Park can also stay in the park’s lodging. These lodging facilities provide customers with a wide range of services and housing options, including cheap, mid-range, and luxury options. The national park’s lodging options include Akagera Game Lodge, Magashi Safari Camp, Ruzizi Tented Camp, and Karenge Bush Camp. Visitors considering a trip to Akagera can reach the park by road from Kigali City, which is around 110 kilometers away. Visitors to the national park are recommended to hire 4WD safari vehicles for easy access to and from the park. Please come and join Africa Adventure Vacations for the best boat cruise safaris in Akagaera National Park, Rwanda.
